Thoughts on Agape 8.1…
The newest Agape is out and I am pleased to say that it is one of the better issues to emerge in a long time. It has a lot of “meat” in it (apologies to vegetarians, including myself); especially the “Helios” piece from AC. I think we all owe Kjetil Fjell a debt of thanks for bringing this to light. Also the piece from the Grand Master, Sabazius; the notices from Brothers Blake and Biberstein; and lastly, the artwork from Brother Outland are wonderful!
I want to especially point out the important aspects of the notices from Brothers Blake and Biberstein. The OTO leadership has been reluctant to share certain information because they don’t want to shame or belittle members. This is a legitimate concern. However if we are all adults, and we all are expected to do our part in the Order, we need to have the most current and correct information available; this includes those who are no longer members of the Order due to policy or rule enforcement, or those bodies which are no longer open due to master closure request or administrative decisions.
For our Order, our local bodies, and our members to succeed, there has to always be a chance for failure. This means that when some bodies thrive, others will whither; while some members will advance, others will not. There is no shame in this process. Thelema is the Law of the Strong. As such, we should celebrate our successes, and not try to hide our failures. If members act in a way that is unbecoming, they _should_ be removed from the membership. If bodies cannot meet our minimum criteria, they should be closed. If rules are violated, the violators should be held accountable, regardless of degree or position. This is how a flourishing community behaves.
In the latest Agape we see the listing of two bodies that were closed. This is wonderful; not because the bodies are defunct, but because we have the strength, as an Order, to say this time it did not work out, and we’ll try again. Similarly a member is no longer a member of the Order. It is unfortunate that this member has lost his or her membership privileges. However it does show that our rules are enforced and that people are being held accountable.
Both of the above show a level of maturity in our organization that we should expect at a minimum. I applaud the leaders for being able to announce the good _and_ the bad and hope they continue in this trend and continue to release even more information even if it is less than favorable in appearance.
Cross posted to oto_agape.
I want to especially point out the important aspects of the notices from Brothers Blake and Biberstein. The OTO leadership has been reluctant to share certain information because they don’t want to shame or belittle members. This is a legitimate concern. However if we are all adults, and we all are expected to do our part in the Order, we need to have the most current and correct information available; this includes those who are no longer members of the Order due to policy or rule enforcement, or those bodies which are no longer open due to master closure request or administrative decisions.
For our Order, our local bodies, and our members to succeed, there has to always be a chance for failure. This means that when some bodies thrive, others will whither; while some members will advance, others will not. There is no shame in this process. Thelema is the Law of the Strong. As such, we should celebrate our successes, and not try to hide our failures. If members act in a way that is unbecoming, they _should_ be removed from the membership. If bodies cannot meet our minimum criteria, they should be closed. If rules are violated, the violators should be held accountable, regardless of degree or position. This is how a flourishing community behaves.
In the latest Agape we see the listing of two bodies that were closed. This is wonderful; not because the bodies are defunct, but because we have the strength, as an Order, to say this time it did not work out, and we’ll try again. Similarly a member is no longer a member of the Order. It is unfortunate that this member has lost his or her membership privileges. However it does show that our rules are enforced and that people are being held accountable.
Both of the above show a level of maturity in our organization that we should expect at a minimum. I applaud the leaders for being able to announce the good _and_ the bad and hope they continue in this trend and continue to release even more information even if it is less than favorable in appearance.
Cross posted to oto_agape.